Aussie role highlighted as Artemis II breaks historic record

The four astronauts aboard the Artemis II Orion space capsule made history early this morning.

From about 4am AEST, they became humanity’s most far-reaching explorers, after breaking the record for how far humans have traveled from Earth.

That record, of 400,171, was set in 1970 by the crew of Apollo 13.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen marked this moment with a message to the world.

“Most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to ensure this record does not last long,” he said from the capsule.

Hansen also requested on behalf of the crew that a new lunar crater they observed be named after mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

The four astronauts hugged each other as they flew past the furthest reach of humanity.

They are expected to surpass Apollo 13’s record by more than 4,000 miles (6,600 km) when they complete their lunar flight, which begins this morning.

Former NASA astronaut Dr. Terry Hart said it was “a wonderful time for humanity” as the astronauts prepare for the next, crucial phase of their mission that will take them to the dark side of the moon.

“They will see the Earth setting over the lunar horizon and about 40 minutes later they will appear on the eastern side of the moon and they will see the Earth rising,” he said. Today.

“It’s never normal. Being in space, it’s just so exciting.”

Hart also highlighted the role Australia had played in the mission.

“I should thank you. A very important part of this is Canberra, our deep space network in Canberra, we couldn’t do it without you,” he said.

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Center is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, which supports space exploration missions and allows the US agency to stay in touch with spacecraft as Earth orbits.

The Canberra antennas received the first photographs of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969.

The astronauts began the momentous day with the voice of Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who recorded a wake-up message just two months before his death last August.

“Welcome to my old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, humanity’s first moon visit.

“It’s a historic day and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.”

They took the Apollo 8 silk cloth that accompanied Lovell to the moon, and showed it off as the crucial flyby approached. “It’s just a real honor to have that on board with us,” Wiseman said. “Let’s make it a great day.”

Artemis II uses the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after the “Houston, we’ve had a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out all hopes of a moon landing.

Known as a lunar free-return route, this non-stop route uses the gravity of the Earth and moon, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure 8 that will set the astronauts on course for home once they emerge from behind the moon Monday evening.

At the farthest point of their journey, the astronauts will be out of communication with Earth for about 45 minutes.

Wiseman, Hansen, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch were on their way to fly a whopping 6,550 km to the moon as their Orion capsule speeds past, makes a U-turn and then heads back to Earth. It will take them four days to get back, with a landing in the Pacific Ocean to conclude their test flight on Friday.

Their expected speed at closest approach to the moon: 5052 km/h.

Wiseman and his crew have spent years studying the moon’s geography to prepare for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire in recent weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they secured a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, courtesy of the cosmos.

At the top of their list of science objectives: Orientale Basin, a vast impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which extends nearly 600 miles (950 km) wide.

Other sights: the landing sites of Apollo 12 and 14 from 1969 and 1971 respectively, as well as the edge of the Antarctic, the favored location for future landings. Further away, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn – not to mention Earth – will be visible.

Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of photos.

“People all over the world are connecting with the moon. This is something that every person on this planet can understand and connect with,” she said on the eve of the flight, wearing eclipse earrings.

Artemis II is NASA’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year’s Artemis III, in which another Orion crew will practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating lunar landing by two astronauts near the moon’s south pole will take place in 2028 on Artemis IV.

While Artemis II may follow the path of Apollo 13, it is most reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.

Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity’s Holy Week brought home “the beauty of creation.” Earth is an oasis in the middle of “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe” where humanity exists as one, he noted this weekend.

“This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same and we have to get through this together,” Glover said as he held hands with his crew members.

With associated press.

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